Preselector mechanism for liquid dispensing apparatus



June 14, 1960 M. J. MALOOF ET AL 2,940,638

PRESELECTOR MECHANISM FOR LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TORS M/ TCHEL L J. MA LOOP ATTORNEY June 14, 1960 M. J. MALOOF ET AL 2,940,638

PRESELECTOR MECHANISM FOR LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS M/ TIIHEL L. LZMALOOF 3% CR4 /6 L. WALKER ATToRNEY United States Patent PRESELECTOR MECHANISM FOR LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Mitchell J. Maloof, Peoria, 111., and Craig L. Walker,

Reno, Nev.; said Walker assignor to said Maloof Filed Aug. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 756,986

2 Claims. (Cl. 22217) This invention relates to a preselector mechanism which comprises an apparatus for attachment to the register of a liquid dispensing pump. More particularly, it relates to preselector mechanism as an attachment to existing well-known types of gasoline dispensing apparatus which permits the operator to set the mechanism for delivery by the pump of a predetermined volume of liquid calculated either in units of volume, such as gallons, or monetary units and is etiective to terminate the dispensing operation upon completion of the delivery of the predetermined volume or monetary amount.

Present day gasoline dispensers have serious limitations involved in their operation. For example, when a service station customer orders a given amount of gasoline computed in either gallons or dollars, it is the usual practice for the service station attendant to provide the customer with a number of incidental services such as cleaning the windshield and performing various service checks of the lubricating oil, battery, and radiator of the customers automobile. While the attendant is dispensing the gasoline, he must watch closely the indicator of the dispensing pump otherwise an amount in excess of that ordered by the customer may be delivered to the automobile tank. Consequently, although the attendant is doing nothing except observing the pump indicator, he cannot perform satisfactorily any of the above incidental services while he is delivering gasoline to the automobile tank.

Certain gasoline dispensing pumps are equipped with a so-called wet nozzle which terminates the discharge of gasoline through the nozzle at any time the level of the gasoline reaches that end of the nozzle which is inserted into the tank. With that type of nozzle, the station attendant may perform the incidental services requested by the customer Without danger of overflowing the tank. However, the wet nozzle satisfactorily performs the function of terminating the delivery of gasoline only when a customer specifies that the automobile tank be filled. In the event an amount less than that required to fill the tank is ordered, the wet nozzle type of dispensing apparatus cannot be used by the station attendant to preclude the possibility of delivering more gasoline than the amount ordered.

Another method of delivering gasoline to customers automobiles employed by service station attendants is to manually set or lock the delivery nozzle at a slow rate of delivery so that the attendant can perform many of the incidental services while the gasoline is being delivered by the unattended nozzle to the tank at a relatively slow rate. This method is not altogether satisfactory in that the attendant must divide his attention between the pump indicator counter and his performance of the incidental services.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an attachment for present-day gasoline dispensing apparatus which will permit the operator to preselect a given volume of liquid, calculated in either units of volume or units of money, which will terminate the dispensing operation upon delivery of the predetermined volume.

It is another object of this invention to provide a presettable control mechanism for conventional gasoline dispensing apparatus and computing counter devices with an electrical circuit arrangement which will permit either manual operation of the dispensing apparatus or automatic termination of the dispensing cycle upon a predetermined amount being delivered.

It is another object of this invention to provide a delivery predetermining mechanism as an attachment for a conventional gasoline dispensing pump which will permit preselection of a given volume of gasoline calculated either in units of volume or in units of money wherein the volume and monetary preselector controls are operated independently of each other.

A further object of this invention is to provide a preselector device for attaching to an existing gasoline delivery pump which will require a minimum of installa-- tion cost and no external modifications to the housing of the pump.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pre-- selector mechanism of this type in which the setting of the device can be easily observed by the customer as. well as the pump operator and in which the setting of the mechanism can be accomplished by simply rotating the preselector control to correspond to the desired units of volume or units of money which was ordered by the customer.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will'be obvious from, or pointed out in, the following specification when reviewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional gasoline dispensing device showing both the volume unit and the monetary unit preselector indicators of the present invention adapted thereto;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross section of the monetary unit preselector drive and control mechanism taken along the lines lI-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross section of the volumetric preselector drive and control mechanism taken along the lines IIIHI of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side view in elevation of the mechanisms shown in Figs. 2 and 3; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuit of the present invention.

The normal operational sequence of this type of dispensing device is to first reset the counter by rotation of the reset handle in the appropriate direction. With the counter mechanism in a starting or zero position, a dispensing nozzle is then removed from the housing and the pump motor is energized either by means of a manually controlled switch, not shown, or an automatic switch which is actuated by the removal of the nozzle from the pump housing. The nozzle is then operable in the conventional manner to control the return of flow of the gasoline being discharged therefrom.

Fig. 1 shows a conventional gasoline dispensing device comprising a housing generally indicated at 10 which is provided with a computer counter, the various mechanical details of which are shown in Patent Nos. 2,203,109, 2,213,597, and 2,264,557 issued to E. A. Slye. The numbered Wheels of the counter are visible through a window 11 in housing 10. An upper set of wheels 12 indicate the cost in dollars and cents while the intermediate set of wheels 13 indicate quantity in gallons and tenths of gallons. The lower set of wheels 14 indicate in cents and tenths of a cent the cost per gallon.

As shown in Fig. l, the conventional dispensing pump is provided with external controls which are associated with the preselector mechanism of the present invention. These controls comprise a pair of manually operable preselector control indicators 15 and 16 which are adapted to be'driven through the predeterminatormechanisms which will be described hereinafter. Each of the predeterminator mechanisms are driven by their associated computer drive shafts to independentlyperform the'functionjthereof. Each of control indicators 15 and 16 are provided with circular scales 1'7 and 18 which provide whichrneshes with a reduction gear 22 providing a ratio of to 1. Gear 22 carries a plurality of spaced pins 23 which engage the teeth of a predeterminator :disk 24'. A shaft 25 is journalled at one end in plate 20 and at its other end extends through housing to non-rotatably support control indicator 15. Disk/24 is also supported on shaft 25 at a point intermediate its ends between plate 26 and housing it). A projection 24b on disk 24 is provided to contact a threeway switch 26 when control indicator is positioned at its zero setting on circular scale 17. A spring loaded dctent mechanism 27 engages a plurality of holes, not. shown, in disk 24 which corresponds to the'increments of measure onscale 17 thereby providinga positive selection by the operator. 1

As best shown in Fig. 3, the presclector mechanism associated with control indicator 16 adjacentthe gallons computer of'the counter device is driven by a shaft 23.

disk 31. A shaft 32 isjournalledat one end in plate 21? audits other end retains controlindicator 16. Shaft 32 also non-rotatably carries disk 31 at a point intermediate its ends between plate Zitandhousing 10. A projection 33 on a diskis adapted'to contact a second three-way switch 34 at such time that control-indicator 16 is positioned ina zero setting on scale 18; The-above mentioned three-way switches-26 and 34 are of the microswitch type and form a part of the electrical-circuit shown inPig; 5 tocontrol the'tlow of the electric power to the pump motor.

2 Asbest'shown inFig. 4, each of predeterminator disks 2% and 31 are provided with relievedportions 24a and fist-to insure that the controlindicator not selected will remain at zero while the computer is being driven. The unselected predeterminator must remain at zero to provide a c-losed electrical circuit to the motor control switch as explained below;

As shown in Fig. 5, a source of electric power is attached to the line A which is thenconnected to a first three-way explosion-proof switch 26 of the micro-switch type. Three way switch 26' is positioned on plate so that projection 2412 on predeterminator disk24-associated with the monetary computing portion of the counter will move switch26'to the open circuit position when control indicator 15 is at a zero position. Any conventional means may be provided either on the switch or on tl e projection of the predeterminator disk to provide the required'degree of accuracy. A second three-way switch 340i the same type is secured in a similar manner to adapter plate 2% and is positioned to be contacted by projection 33 on predeterminator'disk 31 of the volume portion of the counter'mechanism. A conventional wiring.

trolled or automatically closed upon removal of the 1102- zle from the, housing. The line as indicatedat B is then attached to, any conventional electric outlet to complete dered. For satisfactory operation of the three-way switch circuit, the control indicator not selected should remain at zero. Upon subsequent removal of the nozzle and actuation of motor switch 36, pump motor 35 will be energized and gasoline may then be delivered to an automobile tank upon opening the valve normally associated with the nozzle As the gasoline is dispensed and computed within. the counter mechanism in the normal fashion, the drive shaft of the counter will rotate the indicatorcontrol which has been preset until its respective projection on the predcterminator disk contactsits associated micro-switch to interrupt the flow of electric power to the pump motor. This power interruptionoc-' curs when the indicator control reaches its zero point. Since'the predeterminator mechanism will terminate'tlie dispensing operation at a preselected point, the station attendant may manually lock the nozzle valve in any desired open position; and While the gasoline is being de liveredto the automobile tank, the various incidental services expected at gasoline service stations may be performed. u

' In the event a customer orders that his'tank' be filled;- bypass switch 37 may be closed and 'thedispensing'operation may be performed. in' its normal manner without presetting the'predeterminator mechanism. In this case, the operator Will rely-uponthe wet nozzle of the delivery pumpto prevent overflowing the automobile tank. 7

As an alternate construction of the drive means for the monetary predeterminator disk 24 shown in Figsl 2 and 4, a direct drive can be provided between'tlie" cost drive shaft 19: and the gear 22 which carries the'drive' pins. The'number of pinscan then be reducedtoone: Consequently, each rotation of the drive shaft 19 will result in one rotation of gear 22 and the singlepin carn'ed on that gear will advance the disk 24 one increment which corresponds to one tenth of a rollar on' the'cost indicator. However, by providing a gear reduction drive as shown in Fig. 4 inv conjunction with a plurality of pinsv 23, corresponding to the selected gear ratio, will permit use 'of' a larger pitch diameter on the predeterminator disk thereby providing a more accurate termina tion of the dispensing cycle Without increasing the lateral dimensions of the attachment. Since drive shafts 19"and 28 rotate at a ratio of 1:1, resetting of the computer;

minator mechanism including a driven shaft adapted to be mechanically engaged with the cost drive. shaft of the. computer; :gear reduction means connectedto th'e'driven shaft; a plurality of spaced pins carried by the driven. gearof said. gear reduction means; apredeterminator disk provided. with a plurality of drive teeth q-adapted to' engagesaid pins and beingspaced about its periphery except. for a relieved portion of predetermined length;

to permit disengagement of the drive from said pins to the teeth; and a projection on the predeterminator disk to contact said switch means when the predeterminator is returned to the zero point, the locations of the projection and the relieved portion being so proportioned that the driving relationship between said pins and said predeterminator disk is interrupted when said projection is in contact with said switch means.

2. Presettable apparatus for automatically cutting off the flow of gasoline from a gasoline dispenser after a predetermined volume has been dispensed, said volume being calculated in units of money and adaptable for use with conventional computers of the indicator type having cost and quantity drive shafts rotatable in synchronism with the flow of gasoline pumped by said dispenser, comprising in combination with a motor to drive the pump of the dispenser; switch means in control circuit relation with the motor; a monetary cost predeterminator mechanism including a driven shaft adapted to be mechanically engaged with the cost drive shaft of the computer; gear reduction means connected to the driven shaft; a plurality of spaced pins carried by the driven gear of said gear reduction means; a cost predeterminator disk provided with a plurality of drive teeth adapted to engage said pins and being spaced about its periphery except for a relieved portion of predetermined length to permit disengagement of the drive from said pins to the teeth; second switch means in control circuit relation with the motor; a quantity predeterminator mechanism 6 including a driven shaft adapted to be connected with the quantity drive shaft of the computer; a drive disk secured to said driven shaft; a single drive pin carried by said drive disk; a quantity predeterminator disk pro- 6 vided with drive teeth adapted for engagement by the drive pin and being spaced about its periphery except for a relieved portion of predetermined length to permit disengagement of the drive from said pin to the teeth; a projection on the quantity predeterminator disk to con- 10 tact said second switch means when the disk is returned to a zero point; the locations of the respective projections and the relieved portions of the cost and quantity predeterminator disks being so proportioned that the driving relationship between each predeterminator disk and its 35 respective drive means is disengaged when both said projections are in contact with both said switch means, a pair of calibrated control indicators connected respectively to both predeterminator disks to permit preselection 0 of the quantity to be dispensed; a control circuit for said motor by passing said first and second switch means; and manually-controlled switch means interposed in last said control circuit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 618,652 Engel Jan. 31, 1899 2,540,222 Tilton Feb. 6, 1951 2,804,238 Fair-weather Aug. 27, 1957 30 2,857,769 Bale Oct. 28, 1958 

